The South Sydney second-rower pushed his case for an early return but that was quashed by coach Wayne Bennett.

"I always try to push things a little bit, it's in my nature and I wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible and I felt pretty good, but it was the smart thing to give it a few more days," Burgess said.

England are taking on a Kumuls side that have convincingly won their three games in Port Moresby.

Burgess said England needed to be more consistent if they wanted to go all the way.

"It's about execution for us; we need to be a bit more clinical and hold the ball," he said.